Advice for a new vegetarian

[aresef]

Okay, my friends persuaded me to be a vegetarian for a week, and I'm considering sticking with it. I already have some Boca Burgers and Morningstar sausage. What else would you recommend?

[Squatch]

1. We fix you some lamb.

Name the movie.

[meganmonkey]

28. My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

[Beaverhausen]

2. I'd suggest going to the vegetarian forum

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=231

[Shell Beau]

4. Don't you have to donate to post there?

[Kenneth ken]

24. to post, but not to read

:)

lots of good advice there free for the reading.

:hi:

[Squatch]

8. Or try veggieboards.com

However, they can be a little uber-veg*n. Some of them are downright militant.

[VelmaD]

3. Be really careful...

with what you eat. I tried to be a vegetarian back in college and wrecked my health for a while because I didn't do it right. Ate too much cheese, peanut butter, and fried veggies. Too much cholesterol and not enough of the rights vitamins and I did myself some damage.

[aresef]

12. Wow.

Worst I've had so far is gas.

[matcom]

5. Porterhouse

about an inch thick.

preferably medium-rare

[LisaM]

6. Spinach pie (spanikopita), lentil dishes

I make a good lentil chili. Veggie lasagna with fresh basil in it. Vegetable soups - pea, or I make one with potatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli, zucchini or yellow squash, and spinach, which I spice up with cayenne and then put cheese on. A grilled veggie sandwich on rye with swiss cheese, roasted peppers, onion, and tomato. Mmm! All good. Taco salad or any Mexican dish made with veggie beans. Enchiladas (I mix cottage cheese and salsa, put in onions, roll it up, pour on enchilada sauce, cheese, more sauce, cheese, cover with foil and bake. A baked potato with all the toppings.

[aresef]

11. Nice. Any lunch ideas? Like a school lunch?

Because my school system has no real vegetarian options that aren't absolutely rancid.

[LisaM]

22. Egg salad sandwich with lots of sprouts and lettuce?

I like it crunchy; I put a lot of celery in it. I also make a good veggie sandwich on deli rye with mustard, mayo, cheddar, havarti, tomato, lettuce, onion, and coleslaw. If I was taking it to school, I'd keep the mayo, mustard, and cole slaw on the side till the end.

[kwassa]

7. Spam? Isn't that a vegetable?

[Squatch]

9. And it's in season!

[aresef]

10. I'm not quite sure what it is.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. Eat more veggies!

:P

Are you doing dairy and/or eggs and/or fish?

[aresef]

15. Fish and dairy: Yes. Eggs: Likely.

[Rabrrrrrr]

19. Ah, you have it easy then.

No problem! I could be vegetarian while still eating dairy.

[aresef]

25. I've tried soy milk before. Blech.

And as for fish, I'm from MD. I couldn't live without seafood.

[AngryAmish]

14. Keep your cell phone charged

So when you collapse from weakness you can dial 911. Better yet, get one of those "I've fallen and I can't get up" pendants for when your frail little body finally breaks down.

[aresef]

18. I'm actually a pretty big guy.

5-9, 205 lbs. One of the reasons I'm doing this.

[ET Awful]

16. Best advice for a new vegetarian . . . .

DON'T EAT MEAT

[aresef]

20. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

:P

[ET Awful]

23. Happy to be of service . . .

and veggie lasagna rules. :)

[underpants]

17. A gun

and one bullet

[ET Awful]

21. Yup, because hunting carrots is really easy

:evilgrin:

[jobycom]

35. Good advice

To shoot the first naysayer who makes a wisecrack. That should help. :-)

And prisons have vegetarian options.

[meganmonkey]

26. I would recommend NOT eating Morningstar

If you look at the ingredients, you will see that there really isn't much recognizable food in it. If you are trying to be healthier/cleaner there are much better meat 'analogs' than that. Boca is pretty good - I love their chick-patties.

Good protein sources: rice/beans, meat 'analogs' (but check protein content on them - some are mostly just veggies), yogurt (if you are still eating dairy), other soy products like Tofu (pre-flavored/baked tofu can be very, very tasty) and soy milk. And keep in mind that grains do have some protein too, like wheat (pasta, bread) and corn.

I recomment taking a supplement for B-vitamins, particularly B-12, it is very difficult to get through a vegetarian diet.

[jobycom]

34. Morningstar also is not GMO free, I believe. But, they are still

tasty from time to time (love the mini corndogs!). I eat MS as occasional junk or party food. You're right, they are not good as a regular food source.

Have you tried Quorn products? Not vegan, but very tasty.

[LaraMN]

27. When I became a vegetarian,

I had a dream that I cooked my beloved guinea pig, Shimmy, in the oven and ate her. I was so disturbed when I woke up. I had to go check on her. That's not really helpful or useful, is it? Yeah, well, that's all I've got.

[Double T]

29. Tofu, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and nut products, lots of beans...

of all kinds (plus Bean-O)

[MamaBear]

30. Don't give it up if you have a slip.

And add new foods with some care; high fiber foods can give you gas. If you do end up eating lots of legumes and other high fiber food, be sure you get enough water.

Give your body some time to adjust.

Mostly, enjoy. Eat out at an Indian restaurant (many of them are really inexpensive) and sample all the vegetarian dishes. They are wonderful.

[DS1]

31. Grilled cheese sammiches and tomato soup

[jobycom]

32. Best advice for vegetarians

Don't eat meat. After that, balance proteins and eat plenty of vegetables. Don't rely on Boca Burgers or other fake meats. They aren't that healthy, and after a while, they aren't that tasty, and they can make you want the real thing when you get bored with them.

Start over on your thinking about food and meals. Don't go more than five waking hours without eating something, because energy from non-meats burns more quickly (and cleanly), so you will find yourself drained, and that will make you crave fast food--which is often meat.

Don't worry too much about proteins, but worry some. If you eat a wide variety of foods as close to whole foods as you can get (100% whole grain instead of whole grain, for instance), you'll get enough protein. Eat a protein source at least once a day. This means beans, whole grain breads like Ezekiel bread, tofu, seitan, tempeh, edamame. If you aren't vegan, eggs are a good protein source, but cheese and milk products are not. American cheese is pasteurized beyond the point of being food, and it had become mostly a fat.

Use this as a chance to eat healthier. When I first went vegetarian, I lost a bit of weight and gained an unbelievable level of mental clarity, and increased stamina. After a while, though, I faded back to eating junk foods, like potato chips and chocolate bars washed down with sodas. Pizza was big, too. My cholesterol shot through the roof. You will sometimes hear people claim that vegetarians don't have to worry about cholesterol, but I think that's backwards. High Cholesterol is not caused as much by cholesterol intake (which you only get from animal products), but from animal fats, saturated fats, and trans fats. A lot of vegetarians try to make up for their loss of protein intake by loading up on cheeses and quick-energy carb foods like flour, pasta, potato chips, sugars, potatoes, etc. This will flat kill you. You will get fatter, you will get weaker, you will crave the junk more, and it will raise your cholesterol and triglycerides, and maybe lead to diabetes (though supposedl diabetes is rare in vegetarians--as are gall stones and kidney stones).

So, eat healthy foods. Eat a variety. Eat fruits and vegetables. You don't have to avoid Boca Burgers (also, try Morningstar barbecue riblets!), but don't base your diet on them.

And make it your hobby. Read magazines and books, buy some vegetarian cookbooks, look for vegetarian cookbooks specializing in your favorite cuisines (there are books from everything from Santa Fe to New Orleans cuisine), enjoy cooking, learn to love shopping. Pick up vegetables at your local grocery and imagine recipes for them. Try new foods. Experiment. Plan your meals for the next week, in such a way that you'll look forward to fixing them and eating them. This will keep you interested. After about three months, you won't remember how to crave meat. Also, carry snacks with you, and plan day long outings so you don't get stuck without a vegetarian options somewhere.

And one more thing. If you feel weak, like you are missing protein or carbs or something, evaluate, because you may be. Don't abandon vegetarianism, just figure out what you are missing. Some common things are protein, iron, and B vitamins. A good vegetarian multi-vitamin can help, but try to get dietary sources as much as possible. And avoid getting energy from sugar. For lots of reasons.

Okay, long enough. Enjoy! You'll feel better in ways that you don't even realize you will, both physically and in your soul.

[aresef]

36. Thank you. That really helps.

[jobycom]

39. Ooops

The barbecue riblets are Gardenburger, not Morningstar.

[billyskank]

33. Pasta, rice, beans, vegetables, cheese (if you're not a vegan), fruits

Can't go far wrong. Good luck! :)

[shockra]

37. Boca Italian Sausages.

When you want a spicy substitute for a hot dog.

And because tofu hot dogs suck (says me).

[aresef]

40. Ooh, that sounds really good.

[Dave Reynolds]

38. Bacon and eggs.

Eat, repeat.

[NNadir]

41. Thirty years ago, when I went veggie, I skipped the ersatz meat.

To tell you the truth, when people serve me that stuff now - and usually they're trying to be polite, I really don't want to eat it. It's kind of gross.

It took me about one month to stop thinking I was missing something and about 2 months to start thinking that meat was grotesque.

[KitchenWitch]

42. umm, never try to grill tofu hot dogs

The skin cracks and the tofu oozes out and it looks disgusting.

[LeftyMom]

43. vegweb.com

has a huge selection of recipies. Most are really good and the comment feature means that most have refinements and variations from other people who've tried them.

Best of luck!

[noahmijo]

44. First off appreciate the value of good veggies and fruits

As far as products the Boca Ribs are GREAT the fake ribs I mean, also chicken less chicken nuggest almost taste like the real thing especially when you add some BBQ sauce to em.

Try the corndogs too those are really good.

That's pretty much been my diet so far, veggies especially potatoes and Boca ribs, bbq "chicken" and corndogs.

ALSO MULTIMVITAMINS IS A MUST. I also drink Protein shakes every morning to get the protein fix.